18 October 2006
Britons owe more than £900 million in unpaid water bills, the industry regulator has announced.
Ofwat revealed that the number of water bills left unpaid for less than 12 months totalled £446 million for the year 2005-06.
This combines with a further £490 million left unpaid for more than 12 months, a £30 million increase on the year 2004-05.
Ofwat head of consumer affairs Sue Cox said: "Once a customer's debt slips over a year old, the next year's bill will become due which can make the problem worse and make it difficult for them to get back on track.
"Companies need to manage debt effectively to stop that happening, particularly as the costs of recovering older debt tend to be higher and this can increase costs for all customers."
She added: "We would also encourage customers who are struggling to pay their bill to contact their water company as early as possible. We expect all companies to help customers in financial difficulties make suitable payment arrangements as set out in our debt guidelines."
In the last financial year, water companies sent 8.3 million letters to households warning them of legal action over non-payment of bills. At the same time companies wrote off debt totalling £103 million.
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